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To Solve the RIGHT Problem: Ask Why, Dig Deep! By Brad Hosmer The following article was published in the "New Hampshire Business Review." Determining a solution to a problem can be like sitting on the beach and watching the tide roll back out to sea. First the shallowest rocks appear on the beach, just pebbles spread across the sand, then larger rocks appear, then more rocks larger still. Where mere minutes ago great boulders had been completely submerged, as the water continues receding, those rocks too come into view. More water removed, more rocks can be seen. Problem solving is like that. A classic example is a company attempting to reduce its inventory. As soon as the process begins, those proverbial rocks begin appearing on the beach. More problems (rocks) show up and have to be solved, such as inaccurate records or poor forecasting. Once these problems are addressed, the inventory can be further reduced. To implement a truly effective problem-solving process then it's vital to keep asking the following simple question: "Why?" Sometimes, in defense of keeping things the way they are, phrases like "Because it's company policy" or "Because we've always done it that way" are offered. But such phrases provide the perfect opportunity to ask "Why?" a second time, an opportunity that can and must be taken. In my consulting practice, for example, I have observed many very foolish behaviors become perpetuated at client companies because certain long-time policies were never questioned. A colleague of mine agrees, telling the tale of a large industrial company he once worked at that made heat exchangers. One major manufacturing process there involved drilling angled holes through steel plates. My friend asked why the holes were drilled at an angle instead of straight through, which would have saved time and reduced drill breakage. He was told the angled holes permitted the heat exchangers to be assembled in a manner that increased their efficiency. My friend however was not convinced, so he asked "Why?" once again, digging further into the question. After a few more rounds of this, his persistence paid off. This policy to drill at an angle had apparently been based on incorrect calculations carried out years before by a now long-forgotten engineer. Yet no one had ever challenged his calculations even though they led to costly manufacturing practices. Because a good answer to "Why?" was finally insisted upon, unnecessary angle drilling at the company at long last came to a halt. There are many diversions that can get in the way of our focusing on the right problem and managers who wish to see their companies attain competitive advantage must be aware of such diversions. Asking "Why?" is one avenue toward recognition. Once this question is answered satisfactorily, productive actions can be taken. Other ways, in the form of three "problem-solving tenets," are as follows: · Beware of the obvious! If a bridge seems too low, it might seem that re-building and raising the bridge might be the obvious, and only, solution. But what if part or all of the water flowing underneath could be diverted elsewhere? Contrary to "common sense," you might find yourself solving this problem by LOWERING the water level rather than raising the bridge! Much money and time might be saved in bridge reconstruction and disruption of traffic. While vice president of marketing at a high-tech equipment company some years ago, I encountered a serious problem with a particular product line which was not proving durable enough to survive the company's twelve-month warranty period. Failures began surfacing within six to nine months. It seemed a major engineering effort (i.e., "bridge reconstruction") would be required to fix the technical root of the problem. However, the cost of re-engineering would erase half a year's profit. What to do? Obviously, re-tooling the product was the only answer. But one day, I had a brainstorm: Why not cut the warranty to 90 days and devise an efficient repair system? Perhaps this would even be acceptable to our customers. If it were, everyone would be happy. We tried this "un-obvious" approach and, as it turned out, our market accepted it. No complaints, no questions. Problem solved. · Make sure that other departments aren't causing the problem! Sometimes problems in one department are caused by policies and practices somewhere else. When that happens, nothing you do in your own department to fix the problem is going to help one bit. The customer-service department of a client of mine, for example, once found itself continually unable to keep pace with customer inquiries. In fact, customers were always getting frustrated and angry because they could not obtain timely, simple information from the company regarding their own orders. A thorough analysis of all the rocks, large and small, revealed that the source of the problem emanated from another area. It seemed head of operation's bonus package depended upon the amount of goods shipped. It was therefore in his best interest to ship everything, including partial orders. This method of course benefited him personally but left a tangled trail of invoices and shipping records to be sorted out and cleaned up by others. It raised hell at customer service where full and clear information transfer was the heart of the operation. Once the operations chief's bonus system was re-packaged, problems at customer service disappeared. · Let some problems solve themselves Sometimes things simply work out by themselves. Solutions may already be in the works based on another initiative within the organization. A new computer system or software package, purchased to solve one problem, for example, may be the answer to an administrative or control problem. When something else is happening in the company that you suspect could eventually solve your problem, step back for a short while and wait. You may end up having to do nothing at all. Effective solutions to problems can be found, though frequently they require patiently scrutinizing all the rocks revealed by the waning tide extra digging. When viewed concretely, problems are in fact a compilation of layers, each one calling for an individual look, perhaps even an individualized fix, before moving on to the next layer. The pattern continues until eventually you confront the deepest source of the problem, the very target you were forced to search out and investigate in the first place. Managers with nothing on their desks because they deal with everything immediately, solving problems on the spot, may appear decisive and commanding, but in fact their impulsive reactions often only add more layers (and time and expense) to problems at hand. Though a popular management style, such quick decision-making frequently leads to a recurring pattern: Applying seemingly sensible solutions to the WRONG problems. Instead, take the time to fully identify problems, reaching down to their core. Scan all the rocks on the beach and pay close attention to the biggest ones. In that way, you'll learn to consistently apply lasting solutions to those problems that most need to be fixed. Bradley E. Hosmer, CMC, heads The Beta Consulting Group in Concord, NH, specializing in improved sales, marketing and new business development for generating profitable growth. For fruther information please contact Mr. Hosmer at Beta Consulting. |
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